Roaming through perished gardens: the application of space syntax in the reconstruction of the 17th-century Zhi Garden

This study explores the application of space syntax analysis in the restoration of historical gardens, aiming to support the improvement of research outcomes and develop a quantitative evaluation method for assessing the quality of historical garden restoration. Taking the restoration of Zhi Garden, a seventeenth-century Chinese garden, as a case study, the research applies three space syntax approaches: visual graph analysis (VGA) for accessibility and visibility, isovist analysis (ISA) for accessibility, and agent-based simulation (ABS) for pedestrian flow. By applying space syntax analysis to a restoration plan based on multiple historical evidences, the study offers an in-depth understanding of the spatial attributes of the historical garden. The analysis supports the garden’s design features derived from historical evidence. In the VGA analysis, the average connectivity value of the visibility model in Zhi Garden is 36 times that of the accessibility model, reflecting the characteristic of historical Chinese garden spaces, which emphasize visual guidance while incorporating complex path designs. The IC is 0.13, indicating an irregular and intricate garden layout. In the agent-based simulation, the pedestrian flow under the standard analysis is 2.3 times that of the occlusivity analysis in the agent-based simulation at any global location analysis and 2.7 times in the agent-based simulation at entrances. This suggests that under the standard analysis, the spatial organization of Zhi Garden effectively guides pedestrian movement along highly accessible paths, whereas under the exploration analysis, movement is more dispersed. The guiding effect of the entrance areas is particularly significant, highlighting the crucial role of overall accessibility optimization in directing pedestrian flow. This process offers a novel perspective for garden restoration research. The results show that space syntax analysis can effectively support the restoration of historical gardens, providing a new evaluation method for restoration outcomes and promoting continuous improvement. By combining three quantitative spatial analysis methods with historical garden design theories, the study validates the reliability of the restoration results, enriching methodological approaches and offering new evidence for the reconstruction and analysis of perished historical garden spaces.